we still haven't got all the paperwork in yet. But we are closer than ever.

We've got the money for the dossier and fingerprinting.

We've got all the paperwork except for the letter of employment and proof of life insurance, both of which have to come from Jeremiah's employer.

We originally were requesting up to 18 months and healthy only. But the Lord has really opened our hearts to a lot of things in the last few months. Last month we added several (what I would call minor) special needs to our request, along with healthy. So she could end up being healthy or not. Doesn't matter to us.

Our special needs are:

Cleft Lip/Palate

Missing Fingers/Hand deformity

Limb Deformity

Hearing Loss

Strabismus (crossed eyes)

How the Referral works is that when we have all the paperwork done and sent over to the government over there, then we will get on a waiting list. I don't know how long it will be. For healthy children 0-12 months typically it is about a 7-11 month wait right now, but our factors are different, so it could be sooner. When they are able to match us with a baby, they our agency coordinator Lauren will email us photos and call us at the same time to discuss specifics. Then we will have the chance to accept or decline the referral, but we've already decided that we will accept any referral we get.

After that Im not exactly sure about. We will travel a few weeks from getting the referral to visit her and see Ethiopia. That is supposed to be about 7-11 days. Then we will come home and wait to see if we passed court, meaning our case was heard and we were granted custody of her, and her parents rights were terminated. Then we will go back and get her visa, birth certificate and be able to bring her home. We should be there about 5-6 days.

The date I have in my mind is January. I'm not even going to let myself think it could be sooner than that, so if it is I will be surprised, and if not, I won't be disappointed.

I think there are alot of misconceptions about going through the state. Almost all of my concerns about it turned out to be untrue, as I talked to the mom.

- You do not have to foster-to-adopt, you can choose to take your training a step further and just adopt.

- The state pays for everything-training, homestudy, and I think you even get a stipend for the child's clothes and food, and insurance if needed.

-You do not have to have contact with the birthparents

-It can be pretty quick to have a child placed in your home. I think they said they expect to have their child/children by the end of the summer.

Here is what the website says about State adoptions they participate in.

State-Custody Adoption: These occur because the child has been removed from his/her parents due to abuse and/or neglect. There are three types of situations:

Legal Risk – This means the parents’ rights have not been terminated yet, but the state has recommended to the court that this occur. The risk is that the court may decide not to terminate the parents’ rights for some reason or a family member not previously known may come forward to adopt the child.

“Free for Adoption” – This means that the child’s birth parents’ rights have been terminated and the child needs an adoptive family. The state conducts a staffing to consider families interested in adopting the child and chooses a family based on the child’s needs.

Foster Care to Adoption – Many times people decide to be a foster parent and end up adopting the child in their home if the child becomes free for adoption. Foster parents who have cared for a foster child who becomes free for adoption continuously for a period of nine months or more must be given preference and first consideration as adoptive parents. Our agency considers this to be the best way to do state-custody adoption for both the child and the adoptive parents.

State- custody adoptions involve little to no cost to the adoptive parent. Adoption subsidy is available (but not guaranteed) to help with the costs of the adoption. The parent must successfully complete PRIDE training and Spaulding training (see Q3) at no cost. The majority of state-custody adoptions involve school-age children, although younger children are sometimes available.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Truth be told, I have just been L-A-Z-Y. I gave up Facebook and Blog-Reading for Lent, so besides playing the "What's the most interesting email in my junkbox today?" game:

Cowboy Boots!

When you really have to go-toilets on sale!

Easter Matchups! Find singles in you area who celebrate the Resurrection!

Spy Cameras! Do you know who your neighbors really are?

Motorcycle Skull Caps!!

And someone named Abdul who REALLY needs some cash.

(Seriously, who do they think I am?)

I haven't been online all that much in the last month or so.

Turns out I was spending WAY too much time on here pre-Lent. I lived without Facebook for 40 days or so, I might just never go back.

I hope you all had a great Easter!

I think Easter is my favorite Holiday, or maybe equal with Christmas. I just love that we have a whole designated weekend to celebrate the power and glory of Jesus.

Easter is the only time our church has two services . The second one is the Cantata, which we didn't go to. We went to the early service at 8am. I love the Lord, but I gotta tell you, its a little hard to have the J-O-Y down in my H-E-A-R-T that early in the morning. The kids did great though. They were happy and smiling (in between yawns) and they all sat with us today, and behaved very well.

Then in the afternoon, we went to Queenie and Grandpa's house and had a BBQ and egg hunt.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

I haven't been able to stop myself from thinking about you these last few days. There is that feeling again of someone missing. I have to count everyone, and they are all here, but still someone is not. It's an uneasy feeling. The first few times I felt that way, it was a little scary, until I figured out it was you.

Charlotte is growing impatient for you. She wants to know when you will be here. She wants me to make you dresses, and buy you babies and shoes and candy.

We are getting ready to plant the garden. The seeds make me think of you- how they start in the soil that is the only place they have ever known, until one day they are moved and replanted somewhere else. Will they handle it well? Will they get used to the change and grow and thrive? I'm a little nervous, I don't really know what I'm doing. But I know that it will be worth it.

The days are longer and brighter and warmer and we are playing outside more. It's beautiful here. I wonder if you will like climbing trees like Charlotte, or playing catch like Ethan, or chewing rocks like Caden. What will you think of sidewalk chalk and tents and reading books?

We are so close baby girl! So close. It's so hard to wait on other people to do their part so we can do ours. But soon we will be actually officially Waiting. I try to tell myself that that will be the easy part, when everything is out of my hands and we are only waiting for a phone call.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

We've been busy starting our seeds the past couple of days. Im really excited because this is the closest we've ever been to having a garden. Last year, we dug up a big chunk of the back yard but it never was more than a mud pit for little feet to squish in.This year, Uncle Josiah and Aunt Sarah have invited us to make a real live garden with them. He and Jeremiah dug it up last weekend. I think the plan is to plant at the end of April.

Charlotte liked filling the cups with potting soil and "tapping" in the green beans,in her ballerina outfit of course.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Because I oft forget how much I love my dear sweet soulmate, He thought he'd remind me this weekend by combining all those winning traits and putting on a show.

Do enjoy...

I guess you could say it's all Ethan's fault- he asked his daddy to play frisbee ball with him while Jeremiah was working on the truck.

"Sure son, I'll play with you," He said in his best Daddy voice," There's nothing more important to me than bonding with my oldest boy."

Unfortunately, that didn't last long.

"No problem, son," He said encouragingly, " We'll get it down in a jiffy!"

He gracefully sent Ethan's golf club sailing through the Spring air like a javelin.

Unfortunately, he never learned how to throw a javelin.

Whoops.

That's a big walking stick that lives on our porch and never goes anywhere.

Except up.

This is so much better than tv. And I'm getting a major workout as I lay dying laughing on the porch.

"You're not going to blog about this, are you?" He asks with child-like innocence.

"Oh, honey, that's cute." I say, admiring both his level of hopefulness and lack of realism.

Of course I'm going to blog about it.

Next up ( no pun intended) is a hammer. Hitting the roof, and just narrowly missing the telephone line, the hammer is the next to get stuck.

He really nailed that one. Hehehe.

That folks, is Yard Art on a budget. Kind of like a DIY Chirstmas Tree.

Frisbee Ball

Golf Club

Walking Stick

Hammer

and a partridge in a RedBud Tree.

Finally, in one last exhausted effort to prove the Law of Gravity, He brings out his chainsaw.

"Are you going to throw it up or cut the tree down?" I ask quizzically. At this point, anything could happen.

But fortunately, for both our homeowner's insurance and our health insurance deductable, he suddenly remembers the Biggest Pole In The World in our garage and valiantly risks major injury to prove that what goes up must come down.